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Muslim wadas

September 4th, 2010 by naren bedide

He sat on a throne

and made my Dalits sit on the ground

told my Adivasis to stay at his feet

we folded our hands and stood,

bringing palms together was all he ever taught my people;

changing religion was a rebellion

my people stood shoulder to shoulder

and entered mosques and churches;

his ego received a blow,

so he divides and kills and shows his true colours

once again

like he divided Vali and Sugreeva

he separated the Dalits and Muslims

and as he used the Vanaras

he instigated the Advasis against the Muslims:

isn't that his centuries old heritage?

He poured boiling lead over my people,

broke thumbs so that we couldn't turn the wheel of life,

burnt thousands alive leaving nothing for cremation;

once again

I see my people standing with folded hands,

once again

I see them sit on the ground in fear;

my people who never depended on anyone,

now that he's assumed the form of 'sarkar',

are being told to stretch their hands to plead for help:

that's his Hindu 'raj neeti'*

 

Before the joy of seeing Dalit wadas** closing in on the villages

could sink in

Muslim wadas started appearing outside the villages.

 

My translation of Skybaba's (or S.K.Yousuf Baba) Telugu poem 'muslim waaDalu' (from his collection of poetry 'jagnE kii raat').

* raj neeti: statecraft, or politics in general.

* *waaDa: quarter, locality, neighbourhood.

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